Patient examination tables generally include a base, an upper frame that supports an upholstered top surface, and a lift assembly operatively interconnected between the base and the upper frame for moving the upper frame between a lower position and an upper position. In the lower position, the examination table permits patients to access the top surface of the table or to be moved onto the top surface of the examination table. In the raised or upper position, the patient examination table positions the patient in a location that facilitates the examination of the patient.
It has always been a challenge to design a patient examination table that can be lowered to a relatively low position. There are many advantages to a patient examination table that can reach relatively low elevations. First, a patient examination table that is capable of achieving a very low profile minimizes the amount of lifting required to move immobile patients or overweight and obese patients onto the table. In addition, a patient examination table that will reach a relative low profile can accommodate a new type of patient examination system where a convertible wheelchair is rolled over the examination table and coupled thereto, enabling the patient to remain in the convertible wheelchair during the entire patient examination process. Designing patient examination tables so that they are able to reach these relatively low positions is difficult and challenging. In order to reach very low heights, the design of a patient examination table must take into account the structural components of the table along with the operating mechanisms that form a part of the examination table, especially the lift mechanism or assembly. More particularly, the design must accommodate the lifting mechanism when the examination table assumes the lower position. Again, this is challenging because the lifting mechanisms occupy space and remain anchored or connected to the base and the upper frame. Typically, lift assemblies rest on or are supported by the base and they must attach to an upper movable frame. For the most part, in patient examination table designs, little consideration seems to have been given to how the lift assembly is seated and attached.
Therefore, there is a need for a patient examination table that is capable of reaching relatively low elevations to reduce patient lifting and generally make it easier for patients to access the examination table.